Special Operations

In addition to the daily services such as fire suppression, emergency medical care, and code enforcement the department also provides other more specialized services. The Special Operations Division is charged with overseeing the operations of the Hazardous Material Team, the Collapse, Search and Rescue (USAR) Team, and coordinating with other agencies on Emergency Management.

The Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department Hazardous Material Team is currently assigned to Fire Station 1 and Fire Station 17. Each team member is required to obtain at a minimum North Carolina state certification at the Hazardous Materials Level II Technician. Additional training is obtained once a member is assigned to the team. These additional courses are specialized training in areas such as Tank Car, Highway, WMD, NFA Hazardous Materials Operating Site Practices, NFA Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, WMD Radiation/Nuclear School, Incident response to Terrorist Bombing, and WMD Live Agent training.

In addition to handling all local hazardous materials incidents, the team is also contracted by the State as one of the seven Regional Response Teams. The team is in charge of responding to incidents that cover a 12 county area that includes: Cumberland, Bladen, Robeson, Scotland, Richmond, Hoke, Sampson, Wayne, Johnston, Harnett, Lee, and Moore Counties. These teams were established by the state in order to have adequate resources respond to incidents whenever an incident exceeds local capabilities; and provide technical support, manpower, specialized equipment and/or supplies.

The City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County formed a Collapse Search and Rescue Team. This team is made up of members of the Fayetteville Fire Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services and members from Cumberland County Volunteer Fire Departments. The team is tasked to conduct rescue operations that involve the location, rescue (extrication), and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. These events can be caused by the collapse of buildings, transportation accidents or collapsed trenches.

These situations can be caused by a variety of emergencies such as floods, dam failures, winter storms, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The team also assists other communities following a major disaster.

The team maintains a large cache of specialized equipment to conduct operations. This includes items that range from delicate listening devices and search cameras to heavy-duty equipment designed to break concrete or cut steel. In the event of a long deployment, the team is also equipped with tents, food and water. Each member is issued specialized protective equipment to ensure safety during dangerous operations as well.